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Christopher Paul Simon Reykdal (born September 12, 1972) is an American educator and politician serving as the 15th Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2017. Previously, he served as a Democratic member of the
Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...
from the 22nd district for three terms.


Early life and education

Reykdal was born in
Snohomish, Washington Snohomish is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,098 at the 2010 census. It is located on the Snohomish River, southeast of Everett and northwest of Monroe. Snohomish lies at the intersection of U.S. ...
on September 12, 1972. While attending
Snohomish High School Snohomish High School (SHS) is a secondary school located in the Snohomish School District, in Snohomish, Washington, United States. SHS, built for 1200 students, contains 1,689 9th–12th graders (as of 2016–17). The school serves primarily t ...
, Reykdal was elected Student Body President in 1989. After high school, Reykdal attended
Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...
, graduating in 1994. He majored in social studies with minors in political science and geology. Reykdal also obtained his secondary teaching certificate at WSU. Reykdal graduated summa cum laude and as a member of the
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...
Honor Society.


Career

After graduating, Reykdal taught American and world history at
Mark Morris High School Mark Morris High School is a public high school in Longview, Washington, for grades nine through twelve. In 2013, it had an enrollment of 976 students. A part of Longview Public Schools, the school was built in 1957 and is named for Samuel Mark ...
in
Longview, Washington Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 37,818 at the time of the 2 ...
from 1994 and 1997. He then attended graduate school at
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...
, earning his MPA. Reykdal then worked for the
Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olymp ...
as a fiscal analyst on the Senate Transportation Committee. In 1999, Reykdal became the operating budget director for the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. In 2002, he was promoted to deputy director for administration. By 2005, the Finance Division and the Administration Division merged, and Reykdal became the deputy executive director for administration and finance. In December 2009, Reykdal announced his run for the
Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...
. In his run for the legislature, Reykdal was the leading Democratic vote-getter in the August primary. He faced Jason Hearn, a Lacey City Council member in the November 2010 general election. Reykdal won election to the State House with 61% of the vote. In 2012, Reykdal ran unopposed for a second term to the State House. In the fall of 2013, Governor
Jay Inslee Jay Robert Inslee (; born February 9, 1951) is an American politician, lawyer, and economist who has served as the 23rd governor of Washington since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Represen ...
called a special session of the legislature to adopt an $8.7 billion tax incentive package for
Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and ...
. The session lasted 72 hours and the Boeing tax incentives were passed overwhelmingly in both the House and Senate. Reykdal was one of only 13 “no” votes in the legislature, and he later stated that the Boeing tax incentives put at risk billions of dollars for schools, higher education, and other vital services without guarantees from the company that there would be net job growth. In November 2013 Reykdal defeated
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Steve Owens (64% to 36%) for his third term in the State House of Representatives. Reykdal successfully passed a bill to provide financial assistance to low-income students who were taking college-level credits while still in high school (HB-1546). He was also the house lead on a bill to protect student data privacy. On July 30, 2015, Reykdal announced that he was running for the Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction. On November 8, 2016, Reykdal won against Erin Jones in a
nonpartisan election Nonpartisan democracy (also no-party democracy) is a system of representative government or organization such that universal and periodic elections take place without reference to political parties. Sometimes electioneering and even speakin ...
. He later took office in January 2017. After U.S. Representative
Denny Heck Dennis Lynn Heck (born July 29, 1952) is an American entrepreneur and politician serving as the 17th lieutenant governor of Washington. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the U.S. representative for Washington's 10th con ...
's announcement that he would not seek another term in
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
, Reykdal was mentioned as a possible successor. Instead, Reykdal ran for reelection, defeating Maia Espinoza by ten percentage points.


Personal life

Reykdal lives in
Tumwater, Washington Tumwater is a town in Thurston County, Washington, United States. The population was 25,350 at the 2020 census. It is situated near where the Deschutes River enters Budd Inlet, the southernmost point of Puget Sound; it also borders the state c ...
with his wife and two children. Reykdal's wife, Kim Reykdal, is a school guidance counselor and member of the Tumwater School Board, nominated as one of four finalists for 2016 national Counselor of the Year.


References


External links


Government website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reykdal, Chris 1972 births 21st-century American politicians American educators Washington (state) Superintendents of Public Instruction Living people Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives People from Snohomish, Washington UNC School of Government alumni Washington State University alumni